


A (Late) Birthday to Remember

by Bastet5



Series: The Wild Hunt [19]
Category: FBI: Most Wanted (TV 2020)
Genre: Aftermath of Reveille, Found Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26094733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bastet5/pseuds/Bastet5
Summary: February 2020Life starts to go back to normal, finally, after the events of Reveille. Late birthday celebrations come, at last, for Kateri and with them a present that will change her life (for the better) forever.
Relationships: Clinton Skye & Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Wild Hunt [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1678864
Comments: 20
Kudos: 7





	A (Late) Birthday to Remember

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Vita_Sine_Fantasy_Mors_Est, who as best I recall gave me the plot bunny for this fic.

Birthdays were both a thing and not a thing at the exact same time when it came to team birthdays. When one was between low-30s and mid-40s, becoming one year older was not always a thing to be appreciated like it was when you were a child— _though, considering our job, actually being around to grow old is a win_ —so birthdays were kinda of a thing but … _just not a real big thing_. The team didn’t do presents except at Christmas … except on very rare occasions. Birthday cakes … _or heaven forbid, singing Happy Birthday_ … wasn’t a thing either, but comradery and a team dinner (or dinners, if everyone couldn’t get together at the same time on a day off) was.

There was an old Chinese curse that went “May You Live in Interesting Times.” _I think Kenny might have gotten that or a variation thereof in a fortune cookie once_. And sometimes Kateri felt like that curse was the theme of her life. 2019 had been a series of ups and downs, and the first two months of 2020 had ended up the same. _And I haven’t even gone back to work yet!!!!_

Her 33rd birthday—February 9, 2020—occurred smack at the end of the hunt for the Kanes, the white-supremist bombing case in which Kateri and Tali had gotten caught up in during their disappearance … _kidnapping_ … by ICE. The day itself was not so great … _until Jess and Rakeni found Tali_ , and it was days before life started to calm down … somewhat … _Tali’s still having nightmares … bad ones_ … _I am, too, for that matter,_ although spilling a few more dark secrets to Clinton had decreased the burden of the past weighing on her shoulders, and before celebrating Kateri’s started to become anything more than a hoped-for thought on the horizon.

_We’re alive … didn’t think I’d live to see this birthday after November._

_After this case, everyone’s either okay or going to be okay eventually. I’ll count that as a win._

The rest of the team and Tali and the Skyes had given or sent her birthday wishes and hugs … _so many hugs!_ (She had even gotten kindly fussed at by Marilou, who hadn’t known it was Kateri’s birthday until after her son had told her before he and Jess returned to work after dropping Tali off at home.) Kateri thought the hugs and good wishes would probably be it, despite the others’ hope of doing something once the case was over and life went back too normal.

Or not.

Both of her families had no intention of letting that be the case.

* * *

By the beginning of the next week, life had calmed back down … somewhat. On Monday evening, not long after Kateri had finished cleaning up her dishes from supper, she heard a distant buzz that she recognized as one of her phones. Drying her hands quickly and then pushing the button to start the dishwasher, Kateri patted her pockets. _Where’d I leave my phones??_ A second buzz followed the first about 30 seconds later, and she followed the buzzes into the living room. _There’re my phones. Left on my desk. Oops._ (She usually tried to keep her personal phone with all the time, especially now that her medical leave had ended, in case a new case came up, and the Bat signal … _i.e., Jess texting us all_ … went up.)

There were two unread texts from Clinton. Kateri thumbed open that app. _What’s Rakeni need? Everything alright?_

*Two quick questions. None of us have forgotten that last Monday was your birthday. If no cases come up, 1) Would this Wednesday work for team get-together? Time that works for all TBD. You choose place.*

*2) The folks want to know if you’d like to have dinner with us at the farm on Thursday.*

Kateri’s eyes went wide in surprise, and then a soft smile slid across her face. _Awwww_. She knew and had experienced first-hand how crazy the last two weeks had been. Though an actual get-together would have been nice, she would have been content with just the hugs and good wishes. That everyone was trying to make something work despite the craziness of the period deeply touched her, _though I shouldn’t be surprised. Two families now, and families … real families … don’t let birthdays pass by unnoticed_.

*Two get-togethers. You’re spoiling me!* Kateri texted back quickly, *As long as work cooperates, both sound wonderful.*

* * *

Dinner with the team ended up being at a sports bar in the city that the team favored. It was known for its good hamburger and fries, and its general clientele tended toward the right side of enthusiastic versus raucous, except on rare occasions … _the one in every crowd, notwithstanding … everything gets more complicated when alcohol gets involved_. After a hectic and crazy two weeks with many twists and turns involved, it was nice for Kateri and everyone else just to have an evening off to enjoy each other’s company with all the familial camaraderie, teasing, bantering, and occasional hijinks that came with it all.

One of the massive TVs hanging on one wall … _still can’t imagine paying for a thing that big_ … was playing replays and clips … _of the game and, of course, lots of talking heads_ … from Super Bowl LIV, the game between the Chiefs and the 49ers about two weeks earlier. As close friends as they were, football was a thing that Hana and Kenny were at permanent loggerheads over, and any time football became a topic of conversation, good natured bickering usually followed. Hana, a born and bred Texan who still wore cowboy boots semi-frequently … _even in the field_ … and whose accent still reappeared at times … _especially when she swears or we startle her_ … was a Cowboys fan. Kenny, on the other hand, was a New Yorker, born and bred, and favored the Patriots, who were apparently division rivals of the Cowboys.

_For those who follow football things …_

_Me, I don’t have a clue._

When it came to football, Kateri could generally care less. Lacrosse, the most popular sport among the Mohawks, was generally her sport of choice … when she was in the mood to watch sports, _which is only on rare occasions_. From listening to Hana and Kenny over the years, Kateri understood just enough to follow the basic gist of whatever they were bickering about … and to fake ignorance to wind them up.

_Teasing them is soooo much fun._

_They always react so beautifully_.

_Hmmmm…._

_That’s also partially the beer talking._

_Ride-shares are a wonderful thing._ (Everyone inclined to drink, aside from the boss who didn’t drink … _because Angelyne and aftermath et al._ … could drink without worrying about how to get home.) Kateri didn’t drink frequently. Unpredictable work schedules made going out for a drink more complicated and keeping an eye on the consequences more of a necessity, although Kateri could drink one beer without getting more than a little tipsy.

Everyone was sitting in a circular corner table in order of arrival, which meant that Hana and Kenny were next to each other (prime bickering position), Kateri was between Kenny and Barnes, which meant that it was easiest to talk to them; and Clinton and Jess as the last arrivals _because they always have the farthest to come from Long Island and Queens_ were on the end.

_And New York traffic we have with us always._

_Like death, taxes (double ugh), and paperwork._

Though Kateri was not as close to Barnes as she was to the other, she always enjoyed talking to her. As most any mother would, Barnes was always happy to share pictures of and stories about Anais and her adventures, which Kateri was happy to see and hear. From time to time, she also shared tidbits of what her wife Charlotte, a professor of law at Columbia, was teaching at the moment, researching, or otherwise doing. Charlotte, like Kateri, somehow managed to find time in her busy schedule of being a teacher, wife, and mother ( _all at the same time! She’s amazing!_ ) to do some volunteer work, as well, though Kateri’s usual circles of food banks and women’s shelters only rarely crossed paths with Charlotte’s more social justice focused work.

 _Being a guest of ICE for a second time in my life … two too many … seeing all those people … the kids … the conditions … is a stark reminder that our laws and our justice system still needs a whole lot of work_.

_Kinda amazing how much less scary ICE can seem when (A) you’re not there, (B) in broad daylight, (3) surrounded by safety. Everything seems a little less scary then._

Among its other perks, this sports bar, which was quite large, also had two pool tables and two dart boards aside from its numerous TV screens showing what at some points seemed to be about every sport imaginable … _and occasionally a few I’ve never heard of_. When everyone had finished eating and one round of drinks had been consumed and rabbit-trailing conversations _about most every topic imaginable_ had slowed for a bit—work and recent events, i.e., ICE, were being pointedly avoided—Hana drifted off to go play darts and maybe get some cash while she was at it. _Everyone always underestimates her. They quickly regret that decision_. It was always fun watching Hana whoop the a**es of rowdy, slightly ( _or not so slightly_ ) inebriated men, who thought that one tiny, cowboy-boot wearing woman couldn’t possibly beat them. _News flash, she can!_ She was also quite capable of handling herself in the occasional face of inebriated men being bad losers. _Only ever seen one of the others have to intervene like … twice? … I think in five-ish years_.

A little while later, Clinton went off to play pool, and Kateri went with him. Maybe it was something about his being a sniper and all the calculations he had to in his head to make some shots, but Clinton was … _extraordinary_ … at pool, though he rarely if ever played for money. Kateri was … not that good but enjoyed playing the occasional game with Clinton anyway.

After a crazy period … _sometimes I really do wonder if someone’s jinxed me_ … having a pleasant evening out with her teammates … _family #1_ … was really, really nice.

It was nice not having to worry about work or ICE or anything else crazy.

Just food, family, and relaxation.

_The grind’ll start back up soon enough._

_Enjoy the break while you can._

* * *

On Thursday, early in the evening, Kateri drove out to Glen Cove for dinner with her second family. Traffic, for once, cooperated, and she turned the corner into the Skye’s long driveway, fifteen minutes before her planned time of arrival. _Oh, well. Hard to plan in New York traffic. Don’t think they’ll mind if I’m early_.

Tali was in the front yard, energetically kicking a ball around by herself when Kateri pulled into the driveway. The smile of delight that crossed the girl’s face was almost ear-splitting and more than a little infectious. She gave the ball one good kick to get it rolling toward the house and headed at top speed toward the driveway with a hollered, “Kat’s here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” toward the house. She aborted her run toward the driveway a few yard’s back from the edge, to Kateri’s relief, but dashed forward as soon as Kateri got her feet on the pavement.

 _More thud hugs_.

Kateri opened her arms and braced herself as Tali flew in for a hug. Arms wrapped around her waist like an octopus— _creative little thingies that they are_ —and Kateri wrapped her arms back around her almost-cousin and pressed a kiss to her hair. _You’re lookin’ alright_. _Little better than Sunday, maybe._

Once Tali pulled back, Kateri crouched down so that they were on a level, studying the younger girl intently. “How are you doing, kiddo?”

A hesitant shrug, and a flash of something crossed Tali’s face quickly. “I’m getting there,” she finally declared resolutely. Her voice got a little quieter then, “I’ve been having bad dreams, but Daddy stays with me sometimes. I tried going back to school on Monday, but it was just too much, so Daddy worked out something with the school so I can study at home for a little bit.”

 _Yeaaaa, not unexpected_.

 _Dreams stay around for a while, but eventually even they’ll fade … somewhat_.

Kateri gave an understanding nod. “I know what it’s like,” _bloody h**l, do I, ‘specially after this … of all times_ , she said softly, “I’m always here if you want to talk to someone else.”

“Thanks,” Tali lunged in for another hug and then grabbed Kateri’s hand and gave her a tug in the direction of the house. “Happy late birthday. Everyone’s inside.”

The interior of the house was warm and inviting, and the smells of good food were drifting out from the kitchen. Kateri was greeted warmly when Tali pulled her inside— _I let myself be pulled_ —and more hugs were exchanged. Marilou kindly but firmly rebuffed her offer of help with the food, and Kateri found herself shooed off to a seat in the living room.

Tali dashed off to get something from her bedroom, a what sounded like “I’ve got something to show you!!” trailing behind her. After watching the girl disappear from sight with a fondly bemused expression— _distraction’s good for her. Good amount of energy. Looks alright_ —Kateri turned to Jess, who had retaken the chair next to the couch in which a temporarily abandoned book had been lying.

“How is she?” Kateri asked quietly, keeping one ear out for the creaks in the floor above that would signal Tali’s return. _After a couple months, I’ve learned the creaks reasonably well_. (She’d gone home on the 12th and last seen everyone on the 16th, and though Clinton and Jess texted her from time to time, it was not the same as being there and seeing things with her own eyes.)

Jess sighed, his gaze for a moment going to the stairs up which Tali had just disappeared, “Some days it’s better than others. She has nightmares at least once most every night. The ICE raid drew a lot of attention to her at her school,”— _Yeaaaa, so everyone’s starring at you and wants to talk to you and asking intrusive questions and talk, talk, talk_ —“so her first day at school on Monday was extremely rough. By lunch, she had to come home”— _bloody h**l_ —“She’s going to work at home for two weeks and meet with her teachers online.”

_I think that’s the longest speech I’ve heard out of Jess in a while._

_Clinton level quiet, he is not, but still …_

Kateri shook her head, “I know what it’s like … at my age … to try to work through some of those things. I’m not surprised she’s struggling. Does she have someone to talk to … someone besides you? I don’t put much stock,”— _any stock?_ —“in the quacks the big bosses have made me go to before, but … if you could find someone for kids … I could see someone else to talk to might be helpful for Tali.”

Clinton, who had taken the seat next to Kateri on the couch, got a little grin on his face at her words. _He’s heard my complaining about the shrinks … and about more than few other things. Our rabbit trailing conversations sometimes segue into rants about various and sundry things_.

Jess nodded, leaning forward to grab his mug of tea off the coffee table, “There’s a counselor at school she’s talked to … twice. We’ll look into others if necessary.”

Kateri nodded.

“How are you, kid?” Clinton asked quietly, glancing toward the dining room for a moment.

Kateri thought for a moment. “Continuing to get there. It’s been a long two weeks, but,” her voice dropped in pitch so not to carry and she let her head thunk back onto the soft back of the couch, “My apartment doesn’t seem quite so small anymore, and I’m not jumping out of my skin if I get surprised, so …” She shrugged.

 _I’ll count that as a win_.

It was strange talking a little more openly and alluding a little more openly to those things. She was actually kinda glad now that Clinton and Jess, as well, knew the full story of what had happened with Cortez and ICE seven years earlier. As much as she had not wanted to burden Clinton with that secret ... after a while, carrying around the weight of secrets and long-buried skeletons did get really hard.

Several loud creaks heralded Tali’s return, and that conversation was tabled for the moment. Within ten seconds, Tali appeared in a blur off the stairs; flew into the living room, almost skidding in her sock feet— _please tell me you had shoes outside. Wasn’t paying attention_ ; and whispered something in Jess’ ear. At his approving nod, she gave a cry of delight and flew back upstairs at the same speed, leaving everyone with fondly amused smiles in her wake.

“Fifteen minutes until dinner,” Marilou, who was now standing at the top of the dining room steps, announced, before adding to Kateri, “Tali has a present for you. It’s been burning a hole in her pocket for days. She can’t wait to give it to you.”

_A present from Tali?_

_Awwwwwwwwwwwww_.

 _Yeaaaa, I kinda remember how that was around that age_.

Tali returned shortly, carefully cradling a large … something in her arms. _A foot-ish square maybe, but not that deep. Kinda picture-frame shaped?_ She had a look of barely restrained anticipation … _excitement? Glee? And make that emphasis on the barely …_ on her face, and if her arms hadn’t been full, she probably would have been almost bouncing on her feet.

_I missed being around kids._

_Having a cousin’s kinda like having younger foster siblings again._

_Foster parents weren’t always great, but most of the other kids were nice … except for a few, but those we don’t talk about_.

“For me?” Kateri asked.

Tali nodded enthusiastically and edged around her father so she could carefully hand over the present, which had been painstakingly wrapped in colorful wrapping paper. Kateri carefully took the present, keeping it steady with one hand while she retrieved a knife from her pocket with the other. _After all the trouble she went to wrapping this, I’m not tearing into it like a five-year-old_. She carefully slit the knife and slowly unwrapped her present.

It was a picture frame.

Not a picture, or a poster, but a painting.

One of Tali’s.

 _Oh, my_.

Angelyne, as Kateri knew from Clinton’s stories, had been a very talented artist, both as a painter and as a sketcher, and Tali had inherited her mother’s talent. A couple of Tali’s paintings hung in various places around the house, and now Tali had given or had specially made one for Kateri herself.

 _Oh, kiddo_.

Kateri surreptitiously blinked back a couple of tears, as she starred at the painting, a soft smile crossing her face. The scene was a woodland one set against a bright blue, almost cloudless sky, with the sun shining in the background. In the foreground, a hawk was soaring through the air, and there was a deer cropping the grass underneath one tree.

_It’s beautiful._

_Kiddo, you are good._

“Do you like it?” Tali asked almost anxiously.

Kateri smiled, “I love it. It’s wonderful.” She carefully set the painting down on the coffee table and opened her arms for a hug, “I’ll find pride of place for it at home.”

After attempting to hug the stuffings out of Kateri, Tali settled down on the couch next to her, curling into her side and using her shoulder for a pillow. Asking Tali about her paintings and art class at school passed the time until dinner was ready, and everyone headed into the dining room.

Dinner was full of good food … _someone told Marilou about my favorite foods_ … and good conversation, and Kateri really felt like she had never left back in January. _Really like being home here_. When the main food was finished, Marilou brought out desert. Either Jess or Clinton had told Marilou that cake was not a thing at team birthdays, but her almost-grandmother had gotten around the desert problem by buying ice cream … _Oreo, my favorite …_ and making fresh brownies, instead. _Which actually makes me happier than having cake … not that I really dislike cake_.

A while later, once desert was finished and cleaning up was in progress, Clinton caught Kateri’s elbow after she exited the kitchen from her final dish-run. _Birthday dinner or not, not leaving all the work to the others_. Jess and Nelson had left the dining room and gone down the steps into the living room, and their voices—a discussion of an impending chess match—floated in.

“Let’s take a walk,” Clinton suggested, “I have a present for you.”

The first statement registered in Kateri’s mind before the second sunk in. _Uh, okay, kinda cold, though_. “Sure.” She had noticed that her father-partner had seemed almost a little quieter, a little more distracted at dinner and had wondered at that. _Anything to do with this?_ Then the present statement sunk in, and her eyes widened suddenly, “Rakeni! Thought we had an agreement on this?!”

Clinton gave her _the_ look— _is that look something fathers just know by instinct? Because I swear I’ve seen it on Jess’ face at least once—_ and Kateri just shook her head fondly and laughed, “Alright, alright. Let me get my coat.”

_What’s one more exception this year anyway?_

The air outside was chilly—last time Kateri had seen her phone, it had said it was about 40 degrees—but she was warm enough within her coat. Why Clinton wanted to do this … _whatever this is_ … outside she didn’t know, but she didn’t need to know.

She trusted him.

Completely.

She had for years.

She always would.

The two made their way down the gentle grassy slope from the house to the barn. The sun had already long set, and the clouds blocked much of what little moon light there was. Kateri and Clinton both had good eyes, however, and a gentle golden glow from the house’s lights and the light over the back porch gave enough illumination for them to get to the barn safely. _Gone this way so many times since December, think I might be able to do it with my eyes shut anyway_.

The light over the side entrance to the barn came on as Kateri and Clinton approached. For a moment Clinton paused at the bottom of the steps as if they were going to do _whatever we’re doing_ outside. _Figured it was something inside you wanted to show me._ But then he got the door, and the two went inside. With the open window, it was still chilly inside the barn without the space heater on— _coats definitely required_ —but the building provided enough shelter that it wasn’t as cold as outside.

Clinton turned on the interior lighting by the door but didn’t head over toward the corner with the chairs … _where we had our revelation back a couple months ago. That almost seems a long time ago. This all just seems so normal. One big, happy family_ … and just pulled several folded sheets of paper from his coat pocket and handed them to Kateri silently. _Guess this isn’t going to be something long and involved then_.

Kateri took the papers and took a half step backwards so she was closer to the nearest light. There are only two sets of forms in what Clinton had handed her, and after unfolding them, it took her only a split second of looking at each to see what they were, why he had been distracted, and why they were doing this in private.

What Kateri was holding was adoption paperwork.

Adoption paperwork waiting to be filled out.

For her.

For them.

Adoption paperwork.

Kateri almost couldn’t believe it.

_SURROGATE’S COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK_

_COUNTY OF ___________________________

_\-------------------------------------------------X_

_In the Matter of the Adoption of PETITION FOR ADULT ADOPTION[1] ______________________________ An Adult, File No. _________________________

_\-------------------------------------------------X_

_…_

_WHEREFORE, the Petitioner(s) request(s) an order granting the adoption of ___________________________by the Petitioner(s) and directing that such adoptee _______________________________ shall be treated in all respects as the child of the Petitioner(s) and directing that_

_[ ] the name of the adoptee be changed and henceforth be known by the name of_

____________________________

Next form.

_SURROGATE’S COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK_

_COUNTY OF ___________________________

_\-------------------------------------------------X_

_In the Matter of the Adoption of CONSENT TO ADULT ADOPTION BY ADOPTEE[2] ______________________________ An Adult, File No. _________________________

_\-------------------------------------------------X_

_…_

_The undersigned ______ who is a competent person over the age of eighteen (18) years and whose interest in the above-entitled proceeding is the subject adoptee, hereby consents to being adopted by the petitioner(s) and consents to being treated in all respects as the child of the petitioning adoptive parent(s)._

Adoption paperwork.

Adoption paperwork.

Adoption paperwork.

_To be your daughter … not just in all but name …_

There was the sound of a muffled sob, and Kateri suddenly realized it was coming from her. She pressed one hand to her mouth … _Really? Truly? …_ and looked up and met her father’s eyes. Clinton’s face was fully of slightly guarded hope, but he had kept silent as she read. _Definitely explains earlier_.

“Worth making an exception for?” He asked.

Kateri nodded shakily, choking back another sob, and then abruptly dropped the papers and lunged forward. Clinton caught her easily and wrapped her in a tight hug, as she buried her face in his shoulder, muttering a string of half-sobbed yeses in Mohawk.

“I was going to give you this on your birthday,” Clinton continued a minute later, “but …”

 _The case happened, and searching for Tali happened_.

“Then, now … this’ worth waiting for,” Kateri’s voice broke, half in remembrance of her sheer terror and grief of losing Tali, even temporarily, and half for joy, and the arm around her back tightened, “Definitely worth an exception.”

“Konnorónhkhwa kheién’a.”[3]

 _Now it’ll be official_.

The lump in her throat grew, and it took Kateri a minute before she could firm up her voice again enough force a reply out, “Konnorónhkhwa rakéni.”[4]

After a minute Kateri pulled back and roughly dried her eyes on the cuff of her fleece jacket. “What …” She paused, cleared her throat and tried again, “What about work?”[5]

_I know the fugitive teams get a bit more slack protocol wise, but … how far can we push it?_

_What about federal nepotism laws?_

_I don’t want one of us to have to transfer right when things are trying to go back to normal_.

Clinton made a face, but it wasn’t one that promised bad news … _the one you make after dealing with certain lawyers or battling bureaucracies and pencil pushers._ “Well,” he replied, “Well, the main concern is nepotism laws, but for now, that won’t be a problem.”[6]

Kateri looked at him askance, almost in sheer disbelief. “How the h**l does this get around nepotism laws?” She was delight that it … somehow would, but utterly surprised that it did.

“We’re skirting the letter of the law, but the law doesn’t neatly cover our situation” Clinton explained, “There very well might be a rule change in the future, but for now we are alright, though I’ve been told keeping things professional at work, as always, and keeping our heads down for a while would be advisable.”

_I know when to sit down, shut up, not ask questions, and not look a gift horse in the mouth, but …_

_Yeaaaa, some laws almost have some people’s names written allllllll over them_.

“But how?” Kateri asked again, drying her eyes again roughly on her jacket cuff.

“It’s actually not as complicated as it sounds or as I thought it would be,” Clinton made another face, “We aren’t in the usual categories nepotism laws are made to address. No physical relationship between us,”— _makes my stomach roll just thinking about it_ —“There is not a chain of command issue.”

_Uhhhhhhhhhhh_

Kateri shot him a puzzled look and made a time-out gesture with her hands, “You sure about that, Rakeni? You’ve given us orders before when Barnes or Jess have been gone.”

“Yes,” Clinton agreed, “but I’m not _officially_ ,” he stressed that word heavily, “third in command. My position is _unofficial_.” He stressed the final word heavily as well.

Kateri got a eureka-look on her face.

_Ohhhh … I see._

Clinton continued, “There are no hiring, placing, evaluating, or promotion issues. If you weren’t already on the team and were also trying to get a place on the team, this would be an issue. I’m your partner, not your supervisor, and I don’t have a managerial role, either, that would cause problems.”

_Rakeni, you’re a genius._

Kateri was wide-eyed by the time Clinton finished his explanation/recitation/thing. It was quite clear he had gone over the rules with a fine-tooth comb and had answers for each potential problem. _You’ve been planning this for a while, I think, … with help_. “Bloody h**l, I didn’t think that’d work. You’re amazing, but … what about my relationship with Jess? If you're legally adopting me, I'll kinda be related to him … legally … I think? And considering he's the boss, that would be a nepotism problem.”

Clinton shook his head, “It would still be a lot more tenuous than my relationship with Jess.”

_Adopted niece vs. brother-in-law._

_Yeaaa, I suppose._

_And I don't understand how that's been allowed, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth … for either._

“Bloody h**l,” Kateri murmured, her gaze going distant for a moment, “This’ll actually work.”

_Almost can’t believe it!_

“We can start on the paperwork tonight. It’s not that late, and the case will take some time to get through the courts, so if someone raises a problem in the meantime, we’ll have some time to deal with it.”

Kateri nodded, leaning back against the wall. “How long do you think it should take?” She shivered hard.

“Two to three months,” Clinton replied, “And we should go inside. It’s cold.”

* * *

The two returned to the house, braving the cold again for the promise of heat inside. As they walked, Clinton told Kateri that Jess and his parents already knew what he was planning but that Tali didn’t know, “not that she can’t keep a secret … verbally, but she would have been so excited that you would have known something was up.” That made Kateri laugh until she almost cried again, and she was still smiling—and drying her eyes yet again on her jacket cuff—as the two reentered the house.

Jess, Marilou, and Nelson were all in the living room. _Waiting?_ And Tali’s energetic footsteps from above indicated her presence upstairs, though at a call she quickly returned. From the looks on Kateri and Clinton’s faces, it was clear what the outcome of their talk had been, and there were more hugs and more tears and yet more hugs after that. Everyone probably knew for certain Kateri’s answer before the offer was made, but there was celebration nonetheless.

_I think this is going to be a late night!_

Tali’s delight when told the news was infectious, and her shout of delight was so loud that it almost made Kateri’s ears ring. There were more hugs at that point, and _if I were a betting person, I’d say I just heard my ribs creak!_

That night, Marilou and Nelson became Ákso and Rákhso.[7] The English equivalents did not sit easy on Kateri’s tongue, almost made her cringe. The Mohawk was easier, though she settled on the informal kinship terms, because she knows using the formal ones would get her _the_ look that only grandparents could use. _Separate from Rakeni’s look_.

Two months had passed since _the_ revelation and Clinton and Kateri’s original talk. There had always been a little distance between Jess and Kateri off duty. They were friends, and they were teammates, and they watched each other backs whenever they were together in the field, _and I trust him. I’d follow him anywhere_ , but … Kateri, she had somewhat of a … not a mistrust or a dislike or a suspicion of authority figures necessarily … _with a few exceptions from upstairs mainly_ , but a slight wariness thereof, and that had originally kept a distance between them. Over the course of five years, that distance had lessened dramatically, especially over the last two months, but calling Jess “uncle,” _despite the fact that Rakeni says he probably wouldn’t mind_ , did not sit right with Kateri either, but continuing to just call him ‘Jess’ or ‘boss’ all the time off duty now did not sit right with her either. And so, Kateri decided in the silence of her own mind, planning ahead, Jess would become Rakenonháa, still ‘uncle’ but not in English and still a formal enough address to silence her misgiving thoughts.

And Kateri?

Well, when names or endearments were not enough, she became Kwátere.

Grandchild.

 _It’s been a long time since anyone called me that_.

The address brought back flashes of faces long faded into wisps, the last to call her such, faint memories of an older woman with laughter lines carved deep into her face who smooths a hand over her hair and sneaks her cookies, of an older man who swings her up onto his shoulders so that all are below her.

_The world moves on._

_I can move on._

_And that’s okay_. 

* * *

[1] <https://www.nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFS/FORMS/surrogates/pdfs/Petiton%20for%20Adult%20Adoption%2029-A.PDF>

[2] [https://www.nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFS/FORMS/surrogates/pdfs/Consent%20to%20‌Adult%20Adoption%20By%20Adoptee%2029-B.PDF](https://www.nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFS/FORMS/surrogates/pdfs/Consent%20to%20Adult%20Adoption%20By%20Adoptee%2029-B.PDF)

[3] Mohawk. “I love you, my daughter.”

[4] Mohawk. “I love you, father.”

[5] As you probably know by now, I do lots of research for these stories, and yes, I have looked at federal nepotism laws and the like. I am trying to keep this believable, but whether the law/policy would actually for this, I don’t know, but I want my happy ending, and this is my story, so I’m doing what I want while trying to keep things believable. :-)

[6] <https://www.cpsc.gov/About-CPSC/Job/Working-for-the-Federal-Government-What-Every-Employee-Should-Know> ; <https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/3110>

[7] Grandmother and Grandfather.


End file.
